Quinoa Salad with Grapes and Celery Recipe

This quinoa salad will be your new go-to summer salad. Sweet grapes, crunchy celery, with fresh orange zest and juice to liven things up.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Mother’s Day! I told my husband that all I wanted for my first mother-of-two Mother’s Day was a card.

Then I changed my mind.

I wanted to not have to cook dinner. I know that’s crazy, I have a food blog, I should want to cook 24/7, right? Well, Momma needs a break sometimes.

I definitely could have thought of a few more things that I wanted for as a present on Mother’s Day, but the truth is, what I want most is more money in our bank account for a new house or a new car. 

Wouldn’t trade being a mom for the world, though. The most important thing to me on Mother’s Day is being with my kids and my husband. I feel so blessed to be living this life that I’m living.

About this quinoa salad:

Moving on to this quinoa salad with grapes and celery. I LOVE it. Hands-down the best spring/summer salad that I’ve tasted so far this year.

This quinoa salad is so refreshing and the flavors are just perfect. The grapes are sweet and soft, the celery crisp and fresh, and the orange juice and zest makes everything so lively and exciting. 

And bonus! It’s easy to make. Especially if you happen to have already cooked quinoa in your freezer or fridge, which I almost always do. I cook the quinoa in my Instant Pot so it’s ready when I need it. I love quinoa salads (see a list below) and I also add quinoa to other recipes, like pancakes or savory breakfast muffins.

To make this easy salad, combine quinoa, grapes, and celery. Whisk together a homemade dressing made with freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, olive oil, honey, and white wine vinegar. Stir the dressing into the salad, test to see if you want to add salt or pepper, and it’s ready to eat.

If you prefer, make this salad ahead. Refrigerate it for up to 3 days and serve it whenever you’re ready. Perfect for lunchboxes!

Make this salad your own

Feel free to make any changes you like. This is a pretty simple salad and it’s easy to customize it. Use what you have in the fridge! Here’s a few suggestions to get you thinking:

• Add protein. Make this a vegetarian main dish salad by adding toasted pecans, walnuts, or almonds. Add cheese: feta, goat, gorgonzola, fresh mozzarella, whatever you like. Add a can of garbanzo beans for even more protein. Meat lovers, add cooked and cooled chicken breast or rotisserie chicken. 
• Instead of grapes and celery, try a different fruit and vegetable combination. I’m thinking strawberries and spinach leaves. Or peaches and jicama. Or orange sections and avocado. You get the idea. Be creative! Dried fruits, like cranberries or apricots, would work well, too. 
• Vegan? Omit the honey and use maple syrup or agave.

More quinoa salads

I promise you’re going to love these salads. Try one today!

 

• quinoa salad with walnuts, cranberries, and feta
• quinoa chickpea salad with blackberries and pepitas
• kale sweet potato salad with quinoa and creamy chili lime dressing
• vegan quinoa salad with Brussels sprouts & pepitas
• quinoa salad with avocado dressing and pinto beans
• quinoa wheat berry salad
• quinoa salad with squash and maple mustard dressing
• quinoa salad with cumin lime dressing